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7 Best Social Media Platforms for Authors to Boost Readership

July 12, 2023 No Comments

Authors have a unique need to connect with their audience in the places where they hang out: most notably on social media platforms. This can help grow an author’s audience and boost their engagement and book sales. There are tons of platforms out there that they can use to connect with their target audience. How do they decide which is the best social media for authors?

Instead of reinventing the wheel or trying a little bit of everything, here is what you need to know about the best social media platforms.

Let’s dive right in.

Creating the Right Facebook Page

If your target audience is between the ages of 35 and 44, you’ll want to head straight to Facebook. According to Hootsuite, almost half of all people visit the social media giant multiple times a day.

The question is: what kind of Facebook page should you create?

Perks of Using Your Personal Facebook Page

Some authors want their audience to feel like they can personally connect with them. This is great during the early stages of your author career when you want to really make deep and lasting connections with your audience.

If you don’t mind not having a distinction between your writing business and your personal life, making them the same has benefits: for one, you don’t need to worry about keeping up with multiple pages.

Whatever you post is available not just to family and real-life friends but also to your readers.

Leveraging your personal Facebook profile for your writing career means that your audience will need to “friend” you before they can see your content. This might make things a little tricky as you’ll need to approve each new fan. This is why many people use an author page as part of their social media strategy.

Creating an Author Page

You can even use it to share book reviews that start rolling in as your audience grows.

Plus, people won’t have to friend you in order to gain access to your page. This makes it much more likely that you will be able to reach your audience without the hands-on method of accepting or denying requests from people that you don’t know in real life.

Utilizing a Facebook Group to Reach a Target Audience

A Facebook group is another way to start leveraging the best social media for authors. You can connect with readers in groups catering to your books’ topic and writing. Authors who can’t find a community or Facebook groups that cater to their niche audience can start their own.

The more engagement you get, the more likely you are to show up in the Facebook algorithm.

This means you’ll be more likely to show up in your audience’s feeds instead of forcing them to come over to your group to view new posts.

Instagram for Photos and Videos

Authors who don’t mind putting themselves in front of the camera will want to consider Meta’s other social media platform: Instagram. Designed for images and videos, you can leverage Instagram as part of a robust social media strategy.

Benefits of a More Visual Platform

This social network allows you to make a more personal connection with your target audience. Take them behind the scenes of your writing process with some of these ideas:

Take a photo of your workspace.
Publish a picture with a quote from your latest novel.
Take a video of your process while you work (similar to a vlog).

With more than 2 billion monthly users on Instagram, adults claim to spend at least a half hour a day on the social media platform. Plus, most users are younger, making this perfect for connecting with those ages 18 to 34.

Tapping into Bookstagram

Bookstagram is a popular offshoot of Instagram, indicating that you have an account dedicated solely to your love of books. To get started on Bookstagram, here are a few ideas that you can leverage as marketing tools:

Ask readers to share reviews of your writing skills and books.
Host giveaways for items related to your books or copies of your books.
Share pictures of what’s on your “to be read” pile.
Run a promotion specifically for users on Instagram stores.

All you have to do to tap into a very active audience on Instagram is to tag your posts with the hashtag #bookstagram.

Quickly Build a Twitter Following

With so many platforms, Twitter might not be the obvious first choice. However, it’s a great platform to connect with readers and to keep tabs on the publishing industry as a whole.

According to Pew Research, those who take to Twitter tend to be a younger audience with a higher degree of education. If this aligns with your target audience, you must get used to the fast-paced social media giant.

Perks of Keeping it Short and Sweet

Unlike social platforms like Instagram and Facebook, Twitter is designed to give bite-sized nuggets of information. You won’t need to spend hours writing paragraph after paragraph. Instead, a sentence or two is usually all you can fit into the character limit.

This means that you can post multiple times a day without having to spend hours writing fresh content.

While they have expanded their character limit, many people still prefer to keep it short and sweet, in line with the original intention behind Twitter. The writing world is varied and active on this social media platform, and writers will want to take note.

Twitter Etiquette for Building a Following

This social media for writers is a great option because it has a simple etiquette for growing your following. Namely, it would be best if you follow everyone who follows you. This may clutter up your feed, but it’s the polite thing to do to grow your audience and theirs.

You never know when you’ll find fresh content or a partnership with another author platform where you can share reviews, giveaways, and more for each other.

Booktok to Capture New Readers

Much like Instagram has Bookstagram, TikTok now has Booktok. Popular authors like Colleen Hoover leverage this social network to reach more people in younger audiences, but all authors can make good use of it.

How popular is BookTok, and how is it influencing the role of reading in the lives of adults?

Some sources say that people read up to 50 percent more due to the referrals and recommendations they find on BookTok. This social media strategy inspires your desired audience to pick up a copy of your book today.

Making Video Content for Your Work

Unlike YouTube, which generally has focused more on long-form content (we’ll look at this in a minute), TikTok is primarily short videos that are easily consumed at a glance. You can’t upload any videos that are longer than three minutes.

Many writers are hesitant to put themselves in front of the camera, preferring to hide behind their words on the computer screen. But getting more reviews of your books and putting your face out there for people to get to know you could be worth it.

Ideas for TikTok Posts

Not sure what you would talk about on camera for a BookTok post? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Quick and easy writing tips
Background information on your writing process
A behind-the-scenes look at your latest novel
Reading reviews from other platforms and readers
Sharing more about your own reading habits (pass the love along to your favourite authors!)

Goodreads Author Program

Readers often want to know what others say about a book before they’re willing to fork over $10 to $20 for their own copy. One of the most reliable places that they turn to rate and review books is Goodreads.

Readers can show others what they’re reading and what they think of it quickly and easily.

Protect Your Brand by Being Proactive

You don’t necessarily have to register for a Goodreads author account unless you want to maintain some semblance of control over your books. Goodreads is owned by Amazon, meaning that all books available on Amazon should also be found on Goodreads.

This is also a great place to advertise specifically to people looking for new books to read. It’s a great investment in your books instead of Facebook ads spread out to people who may or may not have been in the market for a new read.

YouTube

You can earn money for advertisements featured on your channel when you reach certain requirements for their YouTube Partner Program by hitting a certain number of hours watched (4,000) and a base number of subscribers (1,000).

Ideas for Long-Form Videos for Authors

Once you get comfortable being on the other side of the camera, you’ll find tons of ideas for video content. Here are a few creative ideas to get you started:

Writing tips for aspiring writers or self-published authors
Interviews with other writers in your genre
A day-in-the-life vlog that shows your writing process
Story highlights that encourage people to read your whole novel
Reviews of books that you loved and hated (and why!)
Affiliate marketing for tools and software that you use in your writing world

Last but not least, you might find it helpful to post regularly on Pinterest. Most people who use the platform are not authors, but using this visual search engine to create a following around your books can be helpful.

You can use Pinterest to post pictures of things that inspire you or things that influence your books. The best part is that most people aren’t looking for engagement from you in Pinterest in the same way that they might come to accept it from other social media for writers. Users rarely leave comments that warrant a reply from you directly.

If you hate putting your face on your work, you might want to consider Pinterest, as you can share visual ideas rather than personal images. For example, you could create a board based on the visuals that you use to create settings and characters for your book.

This gives people a behind-the-scenes look at your process without needing to attach your image to it — unless you want to!

Pinterest for Fiction vs. Nonfiction

Depending on what kind of author you are, you can approach Pinterest users in several different ways. Fiction writers might use social media platforms to post the images that inspire them or even the tools they use to keep their writing on the rails.

You can even use it to keep track of publications that you have all around the web if you happen to be a freelance writer as well as an author.

You can do something similar with non-fiction works. Post articles and research that you found interesting and influenced your writing process.

The truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to the best social media for authors. Instead, the most important thing is to select a platform you can keep up with and regularly engage with your audience here.

Select one or two of these social media platforms and go all in with them, engaging with your audience and posting content. Experiment to see which platforms work best for your writing career!

By Ashley Simpson

Ashley is an experienced freelance writer with an enthusiasm for finding creative ways to earn money online. She uses her passion for words to share what she has learned with the world.

She spends most of her time blogging for a multitude of websites and consuming everything she can get her hands on in relation to personal finance and side hustles.

Sourced from Niche Pursuits

In News

How To Self-Publish A Book In A Competitive Digital World

February 2, 2023 No Comments

By Deanna Ritchie

For writers and artists of all kinds, making a living isn’t always straightforward. Regardless of the medium or genre, competition abounds, and even with some online success, it can be challenging to break through to a broader market.

The internet has made it both easier and more challenging to get your work out there. On the one hand, social media platforms allow writers and artists to connect with their audience, but this also means more people are trying to do the same thing as you.

As you look for ways to use new avenues of technology, finding ways to let technology and the internet help you as an artist or writer is essential.

How Tech-Fueled Self-Publishing Can Help Varying Artists

One area that many creators are utilizing is self-publishing. In the music industry, this usually means creating a SoundCloud or posting your new songs on TikTok. For visual artists, this can include creating dedicated social media profiles for their art. But for writers, things can be more complex. Those who wish to publish their own books might be unsure of how to utilize technology or the internet to get to that point, but the truth is that self-publishing is a sensible route for many aspiring authors. Self-publishing is similar in many ways to start a business.

With more and more channels available for writers across all genres and topics, many people are pursuing self-publishing instead of going with publishing companies. There are pros and cons to both routes, but self-publishing allows anyone with a dream to make their book vision come true.

You may wonder about the steps you need to take to self-publish. Here’s an essential guide to getting started.

Why Self-Publishing is a Good Idea For Some Authors, Especially New Ones

The traditional publishing industry has the resources and reputation that many writers look for when trying to publish their books. If you can get a publishing house to accept your book, you’ll get paid and get the resources to market and sell your book.

However, it’s rarely that straightforward. Even a well-written book that’s original and creative might not be what traditional publishers look for in their acquisitions. Larger publishing houses may have preconceived notions of what will and won’t sell, and they also receive countless submissions. In some cases, an indie publisher might be a good alternative, but these also have downsides.

So, for new writers, self-publishing is a way to get your name out there and build an audience. The truth is that pitching your book to an agent is time-consuming. You may end up querying dozens upon dozens of literary agents with hardly a word back. This is especially true if you still need to build a reputation for yourself as an author. Instead, self-publishing allows you to harness any online traction you already have and then further your audience base. Once you publish something, you can point interested people to where your book is sold, which is an excellent way to build up social media buzz and spread the word.

Six Essential Steps For Self-Publishing Your Book (Regardless of Genre)

Self-publishing isn’t for everyone, but it is a viable option for many. Depending on your situation, self-publishing may be the only realistic route to getting a book in physical copy. But if you want to pursue self-publishing, you’ll likely have many questions about the process. Whether you want to publish a poetry book, sci-fi novel, or short story anthology, the approach to self-publish is much the same. Of course, as with most aspects of writing, the steps are often more complicated than can be put on paper.

To get you started, here are some steps to take when self-publishing:

Step 1: Ensure Your Book Has a Market

While you can self-publish nearly anything you want to write, you do have to look at the cost of production versus how much you’re likely to make. Of course, if you have the money to self-publish and aren’t worried about profit, you should go for it. However, for most writers, profit is at least a factor. To ensure you can make a profit now, or later as you build an audience, research the market for your genre. You can confirm you have a unique idea or at least a premise that is appealing to your potential readers.

Step 2: Focus Heavily On Editing

One potential downside to self-publishing is you won’t have access to qualified, professional editors. However, editing is still vital. If you want to succeed as an author, you need to publish a book that is free from grammar and spelling errors, and it’s also wise to do broader edits to things like plot and continuity. You’ll need to find editors to help you. If you’re lucky, you’ll already know someone in your network who can assist you. But keep in mind you will need to pay editors for their time and expertise.

Step 3: Figure Out the Cover

The design of your book cover also matters. The cover is the first thing readers see, and it’s a significant part of drawing an audience. Many people specialize in designing book covers, and this is a part of self-publishing where you’ll want to devote some extra time and money. If you need help with graphic design services, you can reach out to freelancers for help.

Step 4: Consider Where and How You Want to Sell the Book

Overall, it’s much easier to self-publish today because there are more platforms. Amazon has a program for self-published authors. With them, you can have your book be printed-on-demand, which means books are only created once they are ordered. But, if you self-publish through Amazon, you won’t be able to sell your book in other places. As an alternative, you could also choose to publish on your own website. But, in this case, you’ll need to find a printing company to create the book for you.

Step 5: Consider Your Budget

Self-publishing saves a lot of time and stress, but it isn’t free. The cost of hiring editors, graphic designers, and more adds up. And, if you’re choosing to pay to have the books printed yourself, the budget can get out of hand. So, before you get too far into the process, be sure you’ve planned your budget. You only want to spend what you have.

And, as you do all the hard work to write and then bring your book to the world, remember to take time to unwind and relax. Here are some tips on how to unplug.

Step 6: Launch Your Book Like You Would Any Business Product

After you have your book formatted and ready, you need to work on the marketing. This step is vital to your success as a self-published author. While there’s no one right way to market, you’re likely to succeed more if you consider your book launch as a professional would. Figure out how much money you have in your budget to do things like making social media ads. It’s also helpful to use analytics tools.

Also, be sure you have your social media pages all setup. You’ll want to post on them regularly and engage with your audience.

Final Notes on Self-Publishing

As you start this process, look online for communities of writers in the same situation. This is a great way to learn tips and tricks for people who have self-published already. Remember that self-publishing isn’t a one-size-fits-all model.

If you don’t sell as many books as you’d hoped, don’t give up. Many authors don’t see success until they’ve published more than one book, and this is true regardless of how their book got published.

Featured Image Credit: Suzy Hazelwood; Pexels.com

By Deanna Ritchie

Managing Editor at ReadWrite

Deanna is the Managing Editor at ReadWrite. Previously she worked as the Editor in Chief for Startup Grind and has over 20+ years of experience in content management and content development.

author

How To Self-Publish A Book In A Competitive Digital World

How Tech-Fueled Self-Publishing Can Help Varying Artists

Why Self-Publishing is a Good Idea For Some Authors, Especially New Ones